PMcrunch

Most good managers in project and program management know the importance of maintaining relationships with team members and stakeholders. Basic human relations can go a long way in improving overall program and project quality. However, I have learned that there is a community beyond our immediate team members and stakeholders that are worth considering in everything we do.

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Technology is advancing as fast as ever and we are constantly asking questions as to how to adapt to these technology changes.  Isn’t it more important for us to ask how these new technologies can be used as tools to enhance project performance?  Let’s explore this a little bit in regards to the Web 2.0 [...]

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In thinking about shareholder management or investor management, especially in today’s volatile environment, I see a big parallel with stakeholder management.  In essence stakeholders are the investors in our projects.  Stakeholders hold a “stake” in our projects.  Stakeholders, just like investors, have different levels of investment or interest in our projects.  We must think of [...]

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Can you use a 30/60/90 day plan for non-sales jobs? Certainly — it works for engineering, project management, technical support, and many others. For instance, I got a call from a candidate going for a job in Marketing Communications. He had a 30-60-90 day sales plan template, but needed help translating it into a document [...]

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Using organizational charts in project-planning is very effective in a number of ways. One of the interesting things about organization charts is that they can benefit the project at various times in the lifecycle.

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There is a simple and basic attitude that we, as leaders on our projects and programs, can adopt that will make all the difference in the world. That thing is the idea of engaging openly and creatively with our team members as opposed to either seeking constant agreement or taking an authoritarian stance.

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One of the greatest communication tools that a project manager can possess is strong briefing on the project. This can facilitate communications with all stakeholders for any project. It puts a good public relations phase on the project plan.

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When preparing for any certification exam such as the PMP or CAPEM, we need to evaluated our readiness in taking the exam. There are many ways to do this but one is the application of a unique framework for evaluating our cognitive or level of mastery of the material. Let’s take a look.

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As project managers, we often are handed projects once they are sold. For example, in a consulting organization, a sales force will often sell a project which then is assigned to a project manager. Similarly, within organizations, someone has “sold” a project to upper management and to stakeholders and then the project is assigned to a project manager for implementation.

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Projects, like anything else, are subject to change. One of these changes is changes in stakeholders. Many times a project will be very viable for a particular stakeholder, but priorities might change with a new stakeholder. This is also especially serious when the stakeholder is actually the sponsor of the project, the number one stakeholder. Let’s look at some key aspects of maintaining project control during these types of changes.

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